Safety-fuse switch-box



MNETED STATES PATENT @EFEQ.

warn-ea A. amazon, AND CLAUDE n.v marrnnws, or en. LOUIS, mrssounr,

nssrenons 'ro w. N. mamnnws AND nnorHEn, me, or en. LOUIS, m sonar, aooarona'rron on NEW mmrco.

SAFETY-FUSE swrreH-nox.

messes.

Original application filed April 13 1917, Serial No.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1918. I erlal No. 248,746.

To all whom it may concern: r

, Be it known that we, WALTER Harm RICH and CLAUDE L. MATTHEWS, citizensof the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented acertain newand useful Improvement in Safety Fuse Switch- Boxes, of whichthe following 1s a full, clear, and exact description, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompany ng drawings, forming partof this specificatlon.

This invention relates generally to electrical distribution apparatusand more particularly to the type of fuse sw1tch box disclosed in ourcopendin applicatlon filed April 13, 1917, Serial umber l 61,721, thepresent applicationbeing a dlvlslon of said copending application.

The principal objects of our invention are, to generally improve uponand slmplify the construction of the existing types of boxes or housingswhich form containers for safety fuse switches; to construct the box orhousing so that the same is protected from injury consequent upon theblowlng of a fuse; to provide the box or housing wlth door which isself-closing through the force of gravity; to provide simple means forholding the door in open position while a fuse is being replaced orwhile repairs are being made to parts contained within the box or housinand further, to provide a simple form 0 latch for retaining the door inclosed position against casual influences such as wind and the like andwhich latch will release the door in the event of an abnormal degree ofpressure developed within the box or housing, or such pressure as isproduced by the blowing of a fuse.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, our invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts,hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompany- A ing: drawings, in whichigure 1 1s a vertical section takenthrough the center of a fuse switch box or housing of our improvedconstruction, a corner of said box being in elevation. Fi 2 is anenlarged detail section showing t e door of the box or housing in opentaken approximately on the line 33 of F ii. 1.

eferring by numerals to the accompany 1ng drawmgs which illustrate apractical embodiment of our invention, 10 designates the rear wall ofthe box, 11 the side walls thereof,- 12 the bottom and 13 the top. Thisbox contains a fuse carrying member 14 of any desired construction, thesame bein arranged between line terminals 15 an 16. The box is securedto a pole or other support by suitable hooks or retaining devices 17 thelatter being preferably arranged on the rear wall 10.

The lower portions of the side walls 11 are wider than the upperportions. Consequently, the front edges of said side walls are inclined.The door 18 which forms the front wall of the box is formed at its upperend so as to swing on a horizontal axis, and said door tends to swinginto closed position and retain such position under the influence ofgrav ty, and when closed, its side edges bear dlrectly against theinclined front edges of the side walls 11.

To normally hold the door in closed posit1on against casual influences,such as wind, we arrange on the lower front portion of one or both ofthe side walls 11, a detent member, preferably a relatively light fiatspring 19, the outer portion of which is provided with an aperture 20and the extreme outer end of which is bent outwardly as designated by21. Seated in the side edge of the lower portion of the door 18 is a pin22, the projecting end of which is rounded or conical so that it willreadily ride beneath the outer end of the detent and into. and out ofthe'aperture 20. This arrangement, in addition to normally holding thedoor in closed position, will ermit said door to swing 0 en in the eventof the blowing of the fuse within the box or housing, for it will beunderstood that before the pressure within the box or housing,consequent upon the blowing of a fuse could rise to a point where itwould burst the housing, said pressure would force in Fig. 1, the

which the door will resume its-closed position by gravity.

To hold the door in open position while the fuse carrying member isbeing removed or replaced, we rovide a spring detent member 23, one enof which is pivotally connected to a suitable bracket 24 on the door.This detent member 23 is provided with a slot 25 through which passes apin or stud 26, the same being seated in the end of the side walls 11.The inner end of this detent is rebent to form a springfinger 27, theend of which bears against the inner face of said detent 23, and thuswhen the door is swung into open position, as. shown by dotted lineshead of the stud 26 will ride into position beneath the spring finger asshown in Fig. 2, and thus the door will be yieldingly retained in openposition.

By exerting inward pressure on the door after the fuse has beenreplaced, the door will be freed from the resistance offered by thespring finger 27 against the head of stud 26, and said door will swingto closed position by gravity.

A fuse box or housing of our improved construction is comparativelysimple, and the door of the box or housing in addition to being providedwith simple means for holding 1t in open position, is retained in closedposition against casual influences, and at the same time, said retainingmeans is arranged to permit the door to swing open in the event ofabnormal pressure developed within the box or housing, and which lattercondition arises from the blowlng or burning out of yieldingly latchingthe same in a closed position, a slotted link pivotally connected to thedoor, a stud or projection on the box passing through the slot in saidlink, and a rebent portion on the end of said link for yieldinglyengaging said stud or projection to hold said door in an open position.

2. A bracing link for doors provided with means at one end for pivotalconnection to.

a support, a slot, and a rebent portion at its opposite end extendingover a portion of said slot.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures this 3rd day ofJuly, 1918.

' WALTER A. HEINRICH.

CLAUDE L. MATTHEWS.

